Material Girls

Material Girls is one of my ASG chapter's Neighborhood Groups. Fortunately, it meets on Sunday afternoons when I can attend. I had stopped going for a long time and recently started up again. It's fun to have a group sewing experience. No agenda, just sit and sew. Because a couple of the participants work there, we use one of the classrooms at Ann Silva's store. We just lock ourselves in for a few hours and enjoy. I really appreciate her willingness to loan us her facility on a day when the store is closed.

I took some of my Sewing Workshop patterns with me so I could prepare for my pre-Conference sewing. I was able to cut out the Trio T and pants. No, I didn't trace first. I had the opportunity to try on samples at the last Getaway, so I'm pretty sure of the sizing (although those pants may end up a size smaller than I cut out, an easy fix).

The Trio T will be made from the black print mesh I showed in the last post. Originally I'd planned on using striped linen for the Trio Pants put I've changed my mind and will be using a solid color black linen instead. It'll be easier than having to match stripes with my limited time frame, but maybe another time.

I also cut out another Mimosa top, this time from a cotton print of chile ristras that I've had stashed away for quite a while. Arggh, more blur. What's going on with me and the camera. Sorry folks!



The binding will be another fabric that I pulled, a linen blend that has both black and cream threads. I was short on the cotton, and besides, I thought an all print top might look too home-y.

Butterick 4194, Modified

Hey, I'm done!!


The camo/embroidery version is complete. Sorry about the blur. My camera usually warns about this but decided not to this time. Oy. I installed the pocket tonight, using a velcro closure vs. the button recommended in the pattern instructions.


I'm happy with the minor alteration to the pattern. The tiny bit of pegging at the hem makes a big difference in the skirt's appearance. It's amazing that such a little change can totally change how the finished skirt looks.

Another fun summer skirt. Onwards toward the conference clothes...

Pulling Fabrics

When I'm planning to sew a group of garments, I often just start pulling fabrics out of all the drawers and bins and shelves of my collection. I'll begin with an inspiration piece or two, then other fabrics come to mind. Before you know it, I've gathered up a big stack of fabrics that might work together. Then I start pulling out pattern envelopes and start matching them up. I have sticky notes pinned to each grouping of fabrics to remind me of what I want each to be.

As I mentioned earlier this week, I want to sew a group of Sewing Workshop garments to wear at the upcoming ASG Conference next month. I started with a summery colorway, but the grouping quickly turned into neutrals. I'll be sewing black, tan, cream and taupe with a few color accents. Summer in New Mexico? No, not exactly, but these colors were what I was feeling. This is everything all laid out on the cutting table:



It looks like a mess, but there's a method in the madness.

For example, I actually started this pull session with a blue/gold/lavender/green watercolor print fabric to combine with a similar green for pants.



I then switched over to the neutrals and selected a black mesh print for a t-shirt. I laid it down on top of some other fabrics that just happened to be next to the green.



Ah, they aren't matchy match, but the green in the mesh blends with the green of the pant fabric. This is one of the benefits of pulling out fabrics--sometimes you can find combinations you never expected to work together.

For more on this process, I previously discussed it when I was preparing for the Sewing Workshop Getaway that I went to in October 2007.

I am Enabled

Recently I learned that fabrics from the Fall 2009 Vera Wang Lavender Label Collection were available on Fabric.com. Another sign of the economy. Apparently many of the orders from this collection were cancelled after fabrics were already purchased and delivered. Fabric.com bought up the entire lot and is basically liquidating it all.

Of course, we sewists jumped on this opportunity, burning up message boards and blogs with the story, and firing up our plastic. And I was one of them, although I've already got way too much yardage. As the packages have arrived, there have been varying degrees of satisfaction with the quality. Eek! What would my order look like? I've been eagerly waiting for that package, wondering what my response would be...

Today the box came. And I love them. My order is relatively small (17 yards!) compared with some, 4 relatively conservative pieces--wool suitings and a double knit. Navy, charcoal, and a lavender "wild card" piece. My plan is to use them for work clothes.


Textured Wool Blend Suiting This photo is overexposed to show the texture, but the actual color of the wool is dark navy. Soft yet substantial, gorgeous.


Stretch Double Knit Suiting Not your mother's poly double knit. Very substantial for use as a bottom layer. The weight reminds me of ski pants.


Charcoal wool twill suiting. OMG, this is absolutely lovely.



Lavender Grid Wool Suiting The picture doesn't do this justice. A lovely wool suiting with a beautiful hand. The texture is smooth not raised as it appears in the photo.

I can tell that these will be a joy to sew. I'm tempted to go back and get more, but really, I have way too much fabric already and these are colors that will go with items already in my collection. Well, maybe not the lavender grid, but certainly everything else.

The quality is excellent for the price. The wools were $9.74 per yard and the PDK was $4.54 per yard. The widths are wide as well.

Photos courtesy of Fabric.com

Hotel Facilities in Albuquerque

TerriK wrote and asked about hotels in Albuquerque for the upcoming ASG Conference.

The convention hotels are all very nice and in the downtown area: Hyatt, Doubletree and Embassy Suites. The Hyatt and Doubletree are both within easy walking distance of the convention center. The Doubletree was just remodelled, and the Hyatt may be currently in process. The Embassy Suites is a little farther, but is only 2-3 years old. There will be a shuttle to/from the convention center.

If the convention hotels are full, there are other options. But you'll probably need a car. There is a Hilton on I-25 and Menaul, also a newly remodelled Radisson hotel at Carlisle and I-40. Both are quick drives to downtown from the northeast.

A little farther east, approximately 10 miles, are a Sheraton and a Marriott in the Uptown area. Uptown is also a big shopping district with Coronado Mall and ABQ Uptown.

Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town is a former Sheraton located in Old Town, just west of downtown. Older but still a nice hotel used for a lot of business functions.

There are also several new hotels such as Hilton Gardens and similar located by the Airport. These are also just south of downtown, maybe 10-15 miles out.

If you want luxurious and don't mind a drive, the casinos have very nice resort facilities. The best in my experience is Sandia Casino and Resort. Sandia is perhaps a half hour highway drive to downtown. However, Isleta Casino and Route 66 Casino have also recently opened hotels. I just haven't seen them.

Of course, there are many other hotels in Albuquerque because we're a big stop on two interstates and a natural stop for a lot of people. But these are some of the major locations in the area.

Butterick 4194, View A--Modified

Yesterday afternoon I traced off and modified the front and back pattern pieces as I discussed in the last post. Then I cut out another version of the skirt, this time in an embroidered camo cotton twill that I bought from JoAnn's a few years ago. DF will probably hate it, but he's old school Airborne/Special Forces. I'm not. I barely had enough for the skirt; these scraps are what's left:


And, as last time, I used a fun print for the pocket lining:


Although the blue isn't a perfect match, I think the vintage pinup girls somehow work well with the camo, don't you? My little secret anyway.

I also planned to install the lower pocket and flap as shown on the pattern envelope. However, I'm not loving the placement of the embroidery on the pocket piece, so I might need to re-think it. That's sewing for you!

Another quick project that's almost complete (or fully complete if I end up without the cargo pocket). I'll post a picture when it's done.

Then, onward to some Sewing Workshop sewing to get ready for the ASG Conference next month. My plans are somewhat ambitious, so we'll see how far I actually get!

Butterick 4194, View A--Modified

I wore the faux ikat skirt last night, very comfortable, but it had a slight A-line as sewn. That has nothing to do with the pattern and everything to do with me. Like most, I'm not straight up and down.

A discussion of the Textile Studios Brussels Skirt vs. Cutting Line's In the Trenches at Stitcher's Guild gave me the idea to make a modification. Here's what Louise Cutting had to say:

When the sides seams are seen, you can really see the peg at the hem as the gingham plaid chevron into each other...that is the secret for a couture look. To the eye of the observer, the circumference of the hem is what they think is the actual circumference of the hips.The ITT skirt is 2" smaller around the hem! Nice way to loose (sic) weight!!!

So, that's what I'm going to do with this Butterick on the next one, slight pegging of the side seams to give the illusion of a straight skirt. The ikat will stay as is; I'm not picking out the machine stitched hem and slits again! I'm ok with wearing it, just want to refine future versions.

Butterick 4194, View A

I've used this pattern many times for cropped pants, not so much for skirts (although it got used once for that).



I've been wanting to make a simple summer skirt for a while now, and this pattern was a perfect choice. It has simple shapes and a lot of little details that can be added for additional interest--like the slit/tab combination, the cargo pocket and flap, and the choice of invisible or top stitched side seam pockets.

I ended up making this one relatively plain due to the interesting faux ikat fabric,



with little side slits to give it just a little "something." I also used a colorful print for the pockets.



Nobody can see but me, but it makes me smile. It was also a way of conserving fabric and reducing the bulk in the hip/abdomen area. This was a scrap left over from the Ronald McD project that I posted about earlier.

I also converted the drawstring waist to an elastic waist. This is something I often do with drawstrings. I usually wear casual tops untucked, and the bow just makes an odd lump underneath that top layer. So why not create a waist that will look neater and smoother while still being simple? (I might make a little fake drawstring that I can add just in case I do a tucked-in look. You never know.)

I actually had this one finished over the weekend. And then, I tried it on. The length ended up being just wrong, so I took out the topstitching and rehemmed another 1-1/2" shorter. Now it ends up hitting me right at the top of my knees, which is so much better for this kind of thing.

I'm thinking of making more, using some shortish lengths that I have in my stash. There's an embroidered camo that would be perfect! Hope I have enough...

On a Tangent: I occasionally buy stuff from Anthropologie, and so, I ended up on their mailing list. This is what they sent me for my birthday



Which opens up to this dahling little sewing kit



I think it's a little cheap to offer a mere 5% discount, but you have to admit that the presentation is charming. Correction: it's actually a 15% discount, not quite so cheap, but still...

More...

The responses to my last post needed more attention than a quick reply on the comment page.

First, thanks to Karen, Marji, and Duchesse for the birthday wishes. I had a lovely time even if the day was lower key than last year. The crew at work brought in a Key Lime pie for me, and my BFF at work took me to Pei-Wei for lunch--yum!

The iPod interface is a great addition to the car. Not as practical as the snow tires I got for Christmas, but a heck of a lot more enjoyable. The interface DF bought for me was a BMW one, so it's not strictly an aftermarket accessory. I'm sure they exist though. What's especially nice is that it can use the existing playlists from the iPod; some of these gizmos require the user to set up a limited number of special "car" playlists. Mine also allows podcasts and audio books to be played, a nice plus if you like the spoken word as I do. Negotiating the menus is a little confusing so I've been sitting in the garage and fooling around with it when I arrive at home. That way I'm less of a danger to other drivers!! Depending on the make and model year, there may be ones specifically manufactured for your car. That seems to be the easiest way to go since it's designed to work with the other audio that's already in place.

Duchesse, a pattern! Good for you! If you're willing to eventually pull out the sewing machine, here's what you might want to do. Get the seamstress to make a muslin of the dress first, before she sews your garment from the good fabric. Let her know you want to have the muslin as well as the actual dress. Then use that muslin as a fit guide should you later decide to make another version yourself. Depending on the style, it could even be your sloper for other projects. I agree that sewing something special after a long hiatus is not for the faint-hearted, and it can be worth hiring a professional. Even though I sew, I'm thinking about doing this for the wedding dress (no, still no firm date yet).

The Sterilite I wanted is pretty simple--they're boxes with a separate lid, no fasteners. They used to be available in all kinds of sizes, but recently disappeared from WalMart and Target. I ended up getting a similar product from Rubbermaid that has the locking mechanism. They might be better, but the size is slightly different, of course. And no, I don't want to re-buy everything so it matches. Even I am not that obsessive. Someday I'll have that serene magazine storage look, alas, not now. It should be enough that I've made a simple bedroom closet hold more than it was ever designed to, but no! it has to look "perfect" as well. Like I said, I need to let it go and just enjoy having the storage.

How Did It Get to Be June, Already?

Hi everyone, this post still needs some editing, but rather than letting it go stale, I'm going to release it now and fix it later. Still working on moving items between the Dell and the Apple.

Since the last post, I've prewashed all the Park Bench fabric except for some of the small bits, and it's ready to be sewn. Not sure what to make though, but at least it's ready. I'd really like to sew it instead of putting it away.

Speaking of which...in an attempt to control my stash, I bought some more containers. Unfortunately, the Sterilite I like has disappeared so I got some nearly equivalent Rubbermaid bins. It really bugs, though. Why do they always discontinue something when I only need a few more? Is this just the way it is? I should get over it and stop being obsessive, I know. Real Life never looks as tidy as "Real Simple." And I should sew up some of my fabric so I have more storage space. sigh...

I've begun another project, using an old favorite pattern, Butterick 4194, which appears to be OOP. I've made the cropped pants numerous times and the long skirt as well.

This time, I'm making the shorter skirt from some faux ikat cotton I bought from Louise Cutting, back when she had a bricks and mortar store in Florida. I'm not exactly sure how the designs were done; I suspect with some kind of fabric paint. They're not woven and not dyed--the designs lay on the surface and look woven at first glance. Regardless, it's nice stuff and a pleasure to work with. I expect this project to come together pretty quickly. It's just basic seaming with little or no handwork.

That's a good thing, too, because I managed to slice up my hand Saturday on a candleholder. I was cleaning it and the top edge broke off, leaving jagged edges. Stupid me, I put it in the kitchen trash to take out later, cut side up, then brushed my hand against it when throwing out something else. Fortunately it's my left hand, but I'm annoyed at being such a bonehead. I should have taken it outside to the big bin to start with.

This time last year, DF and I were in Vegas for my birthday. Of course that was the Big Five Oh, so a trip was in order. This year isn't such a big deal, although DF has come through with another great gift: the iPod interface for my car! It's a lot easier to use when you can change the music/podcasts through the car's controls and don't have to fumble around.

I also treated myself to some shopping yesterday--trips to TJ Maxx and Talbots. Bargains all around. Casual wear at TJ's, consisting of capris/crops/whatever they're called now. And a couple pair of sandals. Talbots started out as a simple stop to return a jacket, but they're having 40% off all sale items and well...I ended up with an olive pair of work pants and some accessories. The scarf won't be worn until fall. The 2 handbags will be used for a long time. Both are classic shapes in leather and amazing quality for what I paid.